Casting Tales: The Measure of Success

If you think catching fish is the only gauge of a successful fishing trip think again. My number one measure of a successful fishing trip is determined by whether I learned something new or not. Not only from a fishing standpoint but life in general. I got the opportunity to fish this past weekend with a very good friend, Sam. We haven’t been able to spend much time on the water together since he entered the “real world”.

I enjoy fishing with Sam for a number of reasons not the least of which is the amount of fun we have on the water together; we just like to have a good time. Our fishing trips are part philosophical, part comical, and the remainder is somewhat serious fishing. We probe each other’s brain on certain topics trying to figure out life’s nuances and mysteries. No subject matter is off-limits, including women and religion. The insight produced from our encounters on these trips is invaluable.

I think I mention previously that fishing this time of year is hit-or-miss and I can assure you I’ve had my fair share of misses throughout my winter fishing career; this past trip was no exception. A few things I’ve learned from my very limited winter fishing experience is if you’re catching numbers of fish you usually aren’t going to catch very big trout. Another lesson I’ve learned is most places that consistently hold big trout are usually places where you have to grind for a few quality bites.

We also managed to stumble upon a pattern the last couple of winters, which has proved to be successful for a species that not very many people target during the wintertime, the delicious tasting flounder. There are plenty of flatfish that fail to make the run to the gulf and reside inshore throughout the winter. The areas where we’ve had our most success at are not typical destinations when you think of potential locations where flounder might inhabit during this time of year. A majority of these locales are located miles away from the closest deep water retreat.

The pattern we discovered is fishing deep water, around six feet or deeper, adjacent to marshes where you normally find flounder during the fall months when they stage to make their annual run to the gulf, but not just any deep water. A few key characteristics to look for to reproduce this pattern is a muddy bottom, scattered shell, and a lack of easy access to deep water. Not all characteristics are absolute necessities but your chances to catch these resident fish increase exponentially with each attribute you find. Almost all of these resident fish will be under the 20” class but keepers should not be hard to come by.

Flounder reside in the areas for two reasons. First, these areas are the closest places of refuge when the first few cold fronts blast the coast during the fall. Second, the baitfish that blanket the marsh during the fall also take shelter in these areas for the same reasons flounder do. You combine both ingredients together and it produces areas where flounder remain cozy and well-fed for the duration of the winter. These same areas can also hold some fairly good size trout and redfish. My favorite lure for targeting these tasty creatures has been a Texas Tackle Factory Flats Minnow in liquid shrimp. Slow presentations with short bumps along the bottom seems to work best.

Detecting flounder bites is almost an art form in and of itself but braided line and a sensitive rod can help even out the odds. Most of the time the bite will feel like you’re hung up on shell or some other debris because flounder have a tendency to hang on your lure without completely eating it. I’ve experimented with different hook set procedures and waiting several seconds after the initial bite has produced the best hook-up ratio. We’ve been able to reproduce this pattern at a number of locations including East Bay, West Bay, and a few other places.

The Nitty-Gritty:
We landed a couple of small reds, a handful of trout up to 23”, and fair number of flounder up to 18”. I caught all my fish on a Gambler Flapp’n Shad in morning glory and Sam caught his on a Yum Money Minnow in hologram shad. All our fish came in water deeper than 7’ over mud and shell. Water temperatures range from 46 to 50 degrees.

This past trip I learned a little about both fishing and life. Success on the water may have to be reconsidered for some but for me every day on the water is a triumph.